


Trying for Redemption

by AssassinPerson



Series: Extra Stories [2]
Category: The LEGO Movie (2014), The LEGO Movie 2 (2019)
Genre: AU where Rex live, Fluff, Human(ish) Characters, Like half the characters swear, M/M, Rex is always unlucky, Rex is hecking alive, Rex likes to Swear, Rex redeems himself, The LEGO Movie 2 Spoilers, unexpected love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-12 08:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18007658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AssassinPerson/pseuds/AssassinPerson
Summary: Against all odds, Rex did not vanish after Wyldstyle went to find Emmet. Yes, he's angry about it, but there's nothing he can do. Emmet suggests that he redeems himself, so he can become friends with everyone again. It seemed like such an easy thing to do, and he even had a suggestion of who to talk to.... It's been a day and Rex is sure that this wasn't what Emmet was expecting to happen.





	1. Not what he Expected

**Author's Note:**

> My brain was like "Here's this idea for a FanFiction" and I was like "Okay, I guess I'd better write it" and, well, I wrote more for it than I thought I would end up writing. Oops.
> 
> While the ship isn't one I directly support (this'll probably be the only time you ever see Rex and Good Cop shipped ever), I thought it was cute anyway.  
> I wonder if I'll end up writing more Fics with ships that are never going to be seen again?

Several seconds of silence passed. Rex stood there, fully expecting to have been Back-to-the-Future’d by that point so, when he was still just stood there in-front of a slightly confused Emmet and Lucy, he groans and just kicks at the air. “Oh, come ON!” he complains “I should have been all Back-to-the-Future’d by now! Why am I still here?”  
“Well, maybe...” Emmet starts, still not really having much clue about what Back to the Future even was (Lucy swore she’d need to get him to watch the Films at some point) “… The world wants to give you a chance to redeem yourself! So you can show everyone that you really are nice, and not mean. You already know how to be nice, as you ARE technically still me, after all”  
“Screw the what the World wants! I should have Back-to-the-Future’d by now! Lucy came back, and she changed how the timeline went, and now you’re not going to become me, so I should. Not. Exist” Rex seemed… Very insistent on this. Like he didn’t realise the plot holes that would have happened if he actually DID Back-to-the-Future as soon as the timeline changed. Aka, when he went back and actually saved Emmet in the first place. Lucy groans, this conversation was getting nowhere.  
“Emmet, Rex, we might as well stop wasting our time here and actually head back to… Syspokalypseberg. I’m pretty sure that’s what it’s called now” she then turns around and starts walking off.  
“Oh, yeah, let’s go! We can avoid mentioning that you’re my evil future-self who wanted to doom everyone, but I’m sure my friends will all want to finally meet you! You’re not the first Villain I’ve befriended, after all!” Emmet grabs Rex’s wrist and starts dragging him off, running out from the Undar the Dr’yar System. “We can go and get coffee the way we like it, with a touch of cream and 25 sugars. And everyone can be friends, and nothing bad will happen again. Ever”  
“… Whatever” it seemed that Rex was getting sick of being dragged around by himself. Had he really been this obnoxious in the past? How ANYONE could stand being around the Construction Worker was beyond even him. And he USED to be Emmet, he should be the one who KNEW why he acted like this.

They reached Syspokalypseberg pretty quickly, surprisingly enough, and Emmet’s friends were quick to welcome him back, while also questioning this stranger that he dragged along with him. “Hey, everyone, this is Rex” he introduces for him “Rex, I’m sure you know everyone already. Batman, Metalbeard, Unikitty and Benny… Oh, are you guys the only ones out here?”  
Unikitty nods “Yep! Everyone else is busy sorting stuff out still! Sweet Mayhem is off with the Queen to talk about some more boring plan things that I don’t care about. I’m shocked that Batman isn’t there with them, actually” she glances over to him. Batman looks around, nervously, before saying,  
“All that planning isn’t what Batman cares about. Though, I did let Alfred stay because he’s the one that plans stuff for me, so I’m technically there anyway” Batman crosses his arms and looks _very_ proud of himself.  
“I just wanted to be here to see you return!” Benny rushes, floating over to the three at high speeds to spin around them, stopping in-front of the pair (who he did not know were the same person yet). “Because my interest really only includes Spaceships, I have nothing else to do while here!” Rex had nearly forgotten that Benny had a metal arm. He then wondered exactly WHY the Spaceman decided to do that… Wasn’t having two regular arms fine as it is? There really wasn’t much need to replace one of them with a metal arm.  
“OH, yes!” Emmet suddenly says, to remind everyone that he was there “Rex has done some stuff in the past, and I was going to send him to visit someone. I’ll give him the directions, and then we can hold a celebration party because everything worked out in the end!”  
“Yay!” Unikitty cheers “I LOVE celebration parties! I’ll get to planning right away!” the others then clamour over what should be included, leaving Emmet and Rex to talk… Again.  
“I’m shocked they didn’t get instantly suspicious about me” Rex comments “And, you don’t have to try and help me. I can just go, and leave, and you’ll never have to see me or worry about me again”  
“Aww, but I can’t leave anyone behind, especially not myself!” Emmet protests “And, besides, I’m sure you’ll like the two people I’m sending you to talk to! You already know them, of course, but I’m sure they’ll be happy to spend time helping you out! Well, one of them will, anyway. The other never seems to be happy about anything” Rex sighs, knowing that there was no way that he could ever get out of this, so he just accepts his fate. Emmet tells him the directions, before leaving the totally radical version of himself alone and, well, Rex considered just turning and leaving. He really did. And yet, he also somehow didn’t want to disappoint himself by just leaving, so… He lets out and breath and thinks about the directions. How Emmet knew where ANYONE lived in this place, despite only being there for several seconds, was beyond him, but he just looks around.

… He should have known that he was terrible at giving directions. Following directions, Emmet was perfectly fine at. Giving directions, he apparently didn’t know right from left. Quite literally, in this case, as he had given Rex the wrong way to go at several points. Somehow, he had no clue about how he finally made it to the right building. He just… Did. Like he sorta knew where the place was already, despite having never been here before as it was impossible for anyone to have been here before. Maybe that’s how Emmet could give him directions, no matter how bad they actually were? “Alright, I’m here… I’m just going to knock… And tell whoever it is why I’m here right away, and if they laugh… I can just leave, and never show my face here ever again… Not like it would matter, anyway. I’m sure nobody really cares about me...” _so much for giving yourself a pep talk before-hand, Rex._ Urgh. Why did his internal thoughts always have to argue with each other? He was meant to be cool and epic and totally radical, not some weak emotion-filled child who was nervous of TALKING to someone he apparently knew. Finally, after just standing there doing nothing, he takes several steps over and knocks on the door…

\-----------------------------------

Emmet looks around at everyone who was at the party that had been very quickly set up. He looked a little worried. “I just realised that I told him to go right when I meant left” the Construction Worker comments “Hopefully he can find his way there, despite the fact that I accidentally mixed one thing up”  
“… I’m sure it’ll be fine” Lucy tells him “After all, he is you. He should already know that you accidentally mixed up one of the directions”


	2. Doorstep Conversations

They hadn’t been expecting anyone… Right? Danny looks up when he hears someone knocking on the door, though Bad Cop looked like he could not give two shit about what was going on outside… Which left the younger of the two to get up and find out who was there. He jumps to his feet and cautiously steps through to the main hall, slowly opening the front door and peering outside to see a man stood there on the front step. Not even giving him a chance to speak, Danny instantly comments “Wow, you look like you were some sort of criminal or something” which gets the attention of the only other person in the house, who was now peering through the doorway of the lounge to see what was going on outside. Rex… Just stood there in a stunned silence for several seconds. He hadn’t said anything and yet, already, he was being recognised as a criminal just because of his appearance… But he wasn’t going to complain, either. Snapping out of it, he finally says “The name’s Rex Dangervest. I came here because Emmet wanted me to come and ‘reform’ or some shit, he said that you were the person who’s able to help out with that. I… Still don’t know why he suggested you”  
“Oh, Emmet sent you? And you actually WERE a criminal? I… I was sort of joking about that” a nervous laugh. Why the fuck did Rex find it sort of cute? He didn’t find anything cute! He was meant to be all tough and badass and stuff. “Well, uhh… You can call me Danny! I’m sure he suggested me because I used to be part of the Police Force, and I’m one of the only two actual Police People around here. I know the Laws and how to deal with them better than anyone else” he looks pretty proud of that point.  
“… Oh. So he was actually sending me to jail then? Great, just what I needed, jail time(!)” Rex folds his arms and makes a huff sound, turning away from Danny and looking a little annoyed “Can’t even trust myself, can I?”  
“Aha, don’t worry!” Danny did his best to reassure this stranger who had just showed up and announced his full name and who apparently was also a criminal. “We can’t throw you in jail if we don’t know your crimes! I’ve been making sure that all Prison Sentences are fair, and it would be unfair to stick you in there for an inaccurate amount of time. And, besides, Emmet apparently wants you to reform, and I’d rather not make him sad by not helping with that! I’m sure that-“  
“We’re NOT letting him stay in the spare room” Bad Cop suddenly cuts in, still not in the main hall but definitely still visible. He stares at Rex suspiciously, as if willing him to spill every bad thing he had done in the past.  
“… We can just let him have the sofa?” Danny then suggests, turning around on one heel to face his brother. Rex honestly would have just run off, had he not currently been in full view of the most serious person he knew.  
“Do you really want t-“ he groans “Urgh, fine. The sofa it is. If he sleeps anywhere else, though… I’m going to throw him out”  
“You aren’t going to throw him anywhere! You’re only allowed to throw things, or people, if they’re actually annoying or if they’re insulting me. Rex does not fit into either of those categories, currently” ohmygoshwhyaretheyarguingwitheachothernow? And is Danny serious the one winning the argument? How many other differences did these versions of the brothers have to the ones that he knew?

Rex was then glad that he was looking away, because he didn’t want them to catch him starting. “You’re going to end up being the one thrown” Bad Cop comments, still looking very annoyed, his arms now folded as well “Because you’re starting to annoy me. How many of the Laws do you even know?”  
“I know enough” Danny spins back around and gives Rex a smile. A genuine smile. Apparently, he just ignored the rest of what had been said. “I should probably ask now… Do you have an apartment or somewhere else to live already? I’d rather not stop you from living there, especially since my brother would get very annoyed if it turned out that you actually did already live somewhere here” Rex nearly didn’t answer, for he had been too enamoured by that smile. He was there someone so happy and optimistic in Syspokalypseberg that wasn’t also extremely naïve, like Emmet was? Oh gosh he was staring, wasn’t he, he had better answer before they thought he was weird!!!  
“Uhh, no. I don’t have anywhere to live here. I didn’t even live in Apokalypseberg, either, so… I wouldn’t have a home here anyway” _that was a lie but hopefully they didn’t notice, but they’re going to find out anyway because they’re such skilled detectives that they probably don’t even need a lie detector to know if someone if lying or not._ He shrugs and gives a sheepish smile. “I guess I’m gonna have to crash on your couch, anyway” If either of them had noticed his lie, they didn’t seem to mention it, which made Rex happy as well. He would rather not be caught out as a liar and then be forced to explain everything, especially since the timeline he had come from was more different from this one than he initially thought.  
“Well, you might as well actually come inside, instead of just standing around out there, then!” Danny’s eyes seemed to have lit up and, apparently, he was happy that someone who wasn’t his brother was getting to live there. He then moves back inside the building, allowing Rex to enter and, holy shit, nobody had ever done this sort of thing for him before, he didn’t even know how he was supposed to react.  
“Th… Thanks?” was all Rex could muster before he finally steps inside, closing the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, I'm good at making chapters that take place in one location. The first was outside, the second was on a doorstep, and the third (and most likely every chapter after that) is inside.  
> If I wasn't allergic to making chapters be longer than 2000 words, these probably would be a lot longer.

Evidently, the two had clashing styles, for the interior design of the building didn’t really match up that seamlessly, it was quite easy to tell who owned what. Back when he was still Emmet, he knew that Bad Cop was already seen as tough and cool long before the Duplos arrived, so the darker and more serious things were almost certainly his. Along with just about anything related to their Police work, as well, considering that Danny had retired almost instantly after TAKOS Tuesday (though he was still called into the Station and did work, as there were no other Police People existing in Syspokalypseberg). Rex then yelps when someone suddenly grabs his arm, and he was dragged through to the lounge… Which was somehow actually organised, and wasn’t a clashing mess of ideas and display items. The TV had very clearly been on recently, as the remote was left on the sofa arm, actually pointing towards the device. Shelves had all sorts of things on… VCRs, Cassette Tapes, DVDs, CDs… Apparently, they really liked collecting this sort of stuff, and by the way that it was all oddly sorted (there were clearly two different styles of sorting for all of these), they couldn’t even agree on that, either. Which was sort of funny. Everyone always thought that Good Cop and Bad Cop always got along perfectly well, and that they were the most perfect of brothers. If they saw this, they’d almost certainly have a different opinion.

“Once you’ve finally finished admiring the room, and the horrible sorting that Mr-Grumpy-Pants does, you can go and make yourself comfortable on the couch, and we can work out what we’re going to do with you” a voice suddenly snaps him from his thoughts. Glancing over, Danny still had that damn smile on his face, and yet it wasn’t that unsettling at all. It was comfortable. He couldn’t believe he had forgotten what it was like to have someone smile at him like this.  
“I will end up throwing you out a window if you keep insulting the way I sort stuff. Sorting it all by Genre is perfectly normal” Rex noticed that the specific point of being thrown out of windows was a sore spot for Danny, as he had winced and his smile faltered, if only for a moment. Afterwards, though, it had returned to its usual intensity, like he was threatening to melt you with happiness if you didn’t have any protection.  
“But I like having it all sorted alphabetically! I like looking at the films when they’re in alphabetical order, and I find things easier when they’re all sorted by first letter rather than genre” somehow, Rex doubted that they actually watched any films that often. Both the VCR Player (they actually still own a working one???) and the DVD Player were covered in the same amount of dust, indicating that neither had been touched in a while. The two must just really love sorting stuff out in super specific ways.  
“Hey, sorry to interrupt, but…” he starts, before actually going and sitting down on the couch “… I’m not really here to listen to you two fight like you’re a married couple. Emmet wanted me to show people I’m nice, that’s really all I’m here for. I’ll be out of your hair after that” somehow, he doubted that. The couch was comfortable, he had no place to go, and he was certain that he actually kinda wanted to stay here longer. While one the two didn’t seem to want him around, the other one seemed to be fine with it, perhaps almost happy that there was a third person there.

Of course, Rex didn’t actually expect that the two argued about nearly everything that went on. He thought it would just be the bigger things, stuff that made sense for them to argue about, but he quickly learnt that that wasn’t the case. The two brothers seemed to disagree about almost everything that ever existed, and perhaps also about things that didn’t even exist at all. Maybe it would be about who was making dinner, maybe it would be about what was for dinner, and maybe it would even just be about who was going out when. And yet, the most surprising thing to the Master Builder was that they somehow still managed to look after themselves perfectly fine. And somehow the addition of a third person to the routine didn’t change how they lived. In their first conversation, Danny had told him that he’d get to help out with community service stuff. He’d have to help other people out, assist in stuff related to rebuilding, watch people’s pets for them, that sort of thing. The stuff that he would most definitely NOT do, if he had a choice in the matter. “It’s probably going to get really boring” Danny suddenly comments, looking up from whatever he was doing currently. “You do think it’s boring as well, right?” he suddenly asks, all his attention focused on Rex… Who hadn’t been paying that much attention. The Master Builder was, by now, most certainly sure that he had this childish crush on Danny, and he was 100% sure that he didn’t have the same sort of feelings back.  
“Oh, yes, yeah. Just helping people and doing these tiny things will be boring. Is there really nothing else that I could do?”  
“Well… I’m sure that my brother would allow you to go on some sort of Police chase with him”  
“Fuck no” Bad Cop (how did Rex not know his real name yet?) suddenly looks up as well, staring at his brother, or perhaps he was giving him a glare? It was impossible to tell because of the sunglasses, which hid his eyes and any hint of emotion that they would give. While part of Rex wished that Danny did not have to hear any rude words being spoken out loud, he also noticed that the usually nice person didn’t even care about it. As if he was so used to it that it didn’t even phase him by this point. Rex could not imagine anyone ever swearing around Emmet, nor could he imagine the real Emmet swearing. He was just too innocent.  
“It would be fun, though. I could stay and rest, for once, and you could do your job and have someone different to talk to this time… You’re not gonna need him to help with anything. You already know how to do everything you need to know, he can just keep you company”  
“I don’t NEED company, though. I’m perfectly fine with doing this stuff on my own, you just insist on joining me because you don’t want to be lonely. Well, now that Rex is here, you can actually stay here and talk to him, and also leave me to do my job in peace” talking of, Bad Cop suddenly stands up, picking up the helmet from the seat next to him and pulling it on, before he finally turns and leaves the room. Rex noticed that Danny had stopped smiling, something that he hadn’t seen happen before. It was… Odd.

The silence that followed was certainly an uncomfortable one, to say the least. Rex wasn’t sure about what he should say, and Danny looked like he was stuck between following his brother or just staying there. “I… I’m sure he’ll get used to me being around eventually” Rex finally broke the silence. If he didn’t, he probably would have died. Danny looked thankful at that, because he really didn’t know what he was supposed to say to sort this all out.  
“I hope he does. It’s normally just us two here, arguing about the smallest things and somehow getting along perfectly fine. He’s never had to deal with a third person actually SEEING us argue about this stuff before” there was a sort of distant look in his eyes and a small, sad, smile on his face. It was clear that they didn’t argue because they hated each other. Danny cared, perhaps a little too much, and he always spent time with his brother so he wasn’t alone. Thinking about it, the Master Builder realised that he had NEVER been seen alone after the mess that was TAKOS Tuesday.  
“Uhh…” he finally decides to ask another question “… Was he being serious when he said that he’d throw you out the window?”  
“… No. He’d never actually do that” Danny’s voice had a bitter tone to it. A tone that didn’t match the returning smile one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the Kudos and Bookmarks, guys. I didn't think anyone would like this but, apparently people really do like this idea. I hope I can inspire you guys to write your own Fics if you actually do like my writing this much.
> 
> Comments are allowed, criticism is welcome, I don't even care if you make a super long comment talking about your favourite food or whatever.  
> And now to go and squeal like a child bc I'm happy that people actually like this more than I thought they would.


	4. Sweet Compliments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to name the previous chapter. Oops.  
> Can't be bothered go back and change it either, haha.

He was sure that he had killed the conversation after that. He was so damn sure that it was dead, and could never be picked back up, and he was ready to be left alone in the lounge to think about what had been said. Somehow, it didn’t happen, and Rex then wondered why the things he expected to happen never actually happened, surely the world much be fucking with him? This must be his punishment for trying to doom everyone… Having the people he talks to actually liking him and not being mad at him or anything… And then his thoughts went to the word ‘like’ and he was distracted. Too distracted to notice he had been spoken to until his cheek was poked, at which point he jumps in shock and flails his arms a little. “Man Upstairs, why did you do that?” he asks, though the small laugh he gets makes him give a small smile.  
“I said I was going to the kitchen to find something to eat. You didn’t respond, so… I wanted to make sure you knew” Danny’s tone was back to it’s usual kind one. It was as if the previous conversation had never actually happened. The Master Builder wondered if he ignored everything negative like this.  
“Oh, alright then” Rex contemplated standing up. He DID wonder how they sorted the kitchen, considering that the rest of what he had seen was in that tiny spot between order and disarray. It was so perfectly imperfect that his curiosity about the rest of the building had been piqued. “… Do you mind if I join?” yes, he was nervous, but that was because he never normally had to ask this sort of question before. He never visited a friend before (or even had any friends, for that matter).  
“Of course you can! The only rooms you aren’t allowed to enter are Daniel and I’s rooms, and it’s obvious why you can’t go into my brothers. Mine is because…” the trail off, and then another frown. Rex felt awkward, like this was some personal stuff he had just barged in on that he shouldn’t really be seeing. And he would have understood if no reason was given. If he were still Emmet, he probably would have insisted on going to see what the room was like anyway, or probably even just barged in uninvited, and then he was glad that he had grown up and become more mature and sensible. And tough. Mostly. He was, of course, shocked when Danny actually finished the sentence properly. “… Because sometimes I need somewhere to go where others can’t talk to me” and, oh gosh, that smile had returned, but Rex could see how shaky it really was, and he decided that asking more questions would be a bad idea for now.  
“That’s okay, everyone needs alone-time now and again” _unless it’s way too many years in the Un’dar the Dryar System without anyone going to look for you, that is._ “Let’s just go and find something to make sure we’re not hungry anymore” he then nods, before heading through to the kitchen, allowing the Master Builder to follow him.

Somehow, the kitchen wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. Everything was clean and neat and organised, the table in the middle had several more chairs than people here, and it was clear that they had mutually decided which seat belonged to who from the fact that only two were not as neat as the others. He looked around at the cupboards, noticing that Danny was only looking at specific ones, and then he wondered if they had been split up into two different sections as well. It made sense, considering that not everyone liked all the same things as each other, and even twins had different tastes. “It’s not all perfectly organised, so… I’m sorry about that. Just avoid the ones that my brother has sorted, I’d rather not try to explain why something he likes is not there anymore” oh gosh, Rex kept getting distracted by stuff. Luckily, he wasn’t too distracted, but all he gave in response was a nod as he continued looking around. There seemed to be a severe lack of a coffee machine or anything related to that, somehow, and he was sure that they’d have one. Or anything. Wasn’t everyone forced to drink coffee before TAKOS Tuesday? In his distraction, he only caught a quick glimpse at the cupboard that Danny had practically slammed shut, and it seemed to only have one type of food on all the shelves. “Avoid this one, as well” he quickly comments, before heading over to the oven with a couple of croissants. If it were not for all the scars on his face, he probably would have shown his embarrassment more.  
“Don’t worry, I won’t” Rex finally comments, before he heads over to a cupboard and opens it and finds quite a lot of sweet foodstuffs. “That. That’s a lot of sugar” to be honest, he was more shocked at that than he thought he would be. Danny gives him a nervous laugh.  
“Aha, well… I like that sort of stuff more than my brother. He doesn’t think it’s cool to be seen eating that” as he was turned away, he didn’t see the nod he was given, nor did he see the expression Rex had when he was trying not to make a comment… Which failed, anyway.  
“Well, it’s not as sweet as you” _oh, fucking hell me, why did you have to go and say that damn cheesy pick-up line? Now you’ve gone and ruined your friendship._ Rex heard the squeak he got in response, and for the next few minutes both were silent. Rex was internally berating himself for saying something without thinking, and he had made himself sure that Bad Cop would be told and he’d end up being kicked out and Emmet would be disappointed in him and he’d have to leave so nobody could see or laugh at him. It didn’t help that Danny made an effort to not look at him, either. Once he had finished, he silently stood up and decided to head back through to the lounge. They could both think their thoughts in peace, and hopefully the grumpy person wouldn’t come back for a while so he could work out how he was supposed to apologise.

Luck was never on Rex Dangervest’s side, ever. His plans never worked and he never knew what the right thing to say was and now the door just opened right after he had finished hoping that it _didn’t_ open. Wait, no, that was odd. It hadn’t been that long since Bad Cop (was his real name actually Daniel? It had just been casually mentioned once, so… Maybe?) left. Did he deliberately do this? Oh, he better not have… Instead of getting up and moving, Rex just sat there, deciding to listen in on what was going on in the main hall instead. “Oh, you’re back!” he heard be called by the nicer of the two, and it somehow didn’t sound angry or annoyed at all.  
“… Yes, I know I’m back. You don’t need to yell” there was a pause, he was probably looking around “Where’s Dinosaur Man?”  
“Oh, I, uhh… I dunno. I let him leave. Unless he knows exactly where the squeaky steps are and how to avoid them, he won’t be upstairs” he had fumbled over his words. He probably knew exactly where Rex was, currently.   
“You don’t normally let people leave you alone” if Rex had to guess, Bad Cop would likely have his arms crossed by now, if the slightly suspicious tone was any indication.  
“Well, I…” _just say it, for the Man Upstairs’ sake. He’s going to find out eventually, why won’t you just say it?_ Rex wasn’t sure why Danny had paused, and he wasn’t sure why it seemed like he was trying to avoid saying exactly what happened. “… I was probably distracted by something. He most likely said that he was going to go and I just didn’t hear him” that was a lie. It was a bigger and more obvious lie than the one he had given when he first arrived, and the hum given as a response indicated that it wasn’t believed.  
“You know you’re going to have to talk about whatever it was eventually. You can’t act like you’ve forgotten stuff forever, and I’m not having you ignore each other because of something one of you said. If I’m being forced to live with you both, I would rather you’re actually on speaking terms. My job description doesn’t include ‘start conversations politely’ after all, and I don’t think you want me yelling because you’re too scared to confront someone” the silence after that was somehow deafening. Rex didn’t know what to do, and he didn’t know how either of the brothers looked, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know either. Finally, after the silence, there was a response;  
“I… I know… I just…” and then, from the sound of someone going up the stairs, it was clear that the conversation was over.


	5. Talking Impossible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaa, I finally rewrote this chapter so I was actually a bit happy with how it went. Not too much was changed from the original, mainly just adding some words here and removing some words there, nothing really too major.
> 
> ... I like keeping the chapter titles short, mainly two words max, and keeping it relevant to the chapter while also being a joke (where possible).  
> And, yes, I'm still being allergic to making chapters be longer than 2000 words. This chapter DID become a little longer than it originally was, but not by much. And definitely not by enough to make it get close to 2000 (1500 isn't that close?). Now I have no backlog left. Time to write for a couple more hours to get something I can post.

The silence that enveloped the lounge was very awkward. Rex only glances up when someone enters, noticing that it was Bad Cop there, which meant that Danny had gone upstairs, though he noticed that the Cop looked slightly concerned. And Rex remembered, he had stated that he normally didn’t start conversations nicely, so it was up to the Master Builder to do it instead. “Is… Is he alright?” the look he was given showed that the question was stupid, but it was the only thing he could think of saying.  
“Obviously not. He doesn’t get distracted by anything that easily…” he folds his arms, and then shoots Rex a glare “… How much of the conversation did you hear?” they both knew the answer, though. It was a redundant question.  
“Well… I sort of heard all of it… But only because I was concerned, and wanted to know if he was okay” that wasn’t a lie. He felt like his talking speed was too fast to make it seem true, though. “He’s way too nice to people, and he doesn’t like talking about himself. He… Has he ever been complimented before?” Rex looked a little nervous, he felt the glare daring him to say something wrong. When it finally eased up, he let out a quiet sigh.  
“Obviously not. People have a habit of not liking him just because of me, as well as because his face isn’t perfect. He’s the most self-conscious person I know” he leans back in his seat slightly, arms still crossed. Somehow, that made this feel less like an interrogation. “Seeing Emmet on his coffee run each morning never helps, either” Rex flinches. That… Felt like a personal attack, even though he was a different person to Emmet now. He wasn’t from this World, either, and yet he still felt bad for that one comment he made every morning.  
“Well, they’ve clearly never met him then. He is the nicest person I know… And he’s more sensible than Emmet, as well” Rex glances away, unsure about how or when he was going to reveal that he technically was Emmet, just a more bitter version from the future of what was probably also an alternate timeline by this point… Which would probably also explain why he didn’t vanish. Huh. “I think he told me your real name, as well… I didn’t even ask about it, all I said was that I’d go to the kitchen with him…” he trails off for a few seconds, trying to work out if the next question would be stupid or not. Eventually, he decided to just ask anyway. “… Do you really both have the same first name?” oh, wait, there was that glare again. But it wasn’t really that directed towards him this time.  
“Obviously not. Our parents aren’t stupid enough to give us the same name, he just gave himself that nickname to make people think we’re the same, even though we’re clearly not” Bad Cop (Daniel?) then diverts his gaze, now directing it towards a framed photo of the two. From what had to be more than 8… No, it’ll be more than 13 Years, now. Nearly 14 Years. It had to be, both of them looked happier, and Danny didn’t have any scars on his face either. Rex remembered, back before TAKOS Tuesday, seeing the two brothers on TV with President Business, and they all looked happy (though Bad Cop frowned because he was supposed to look grumpy), and that was when he thought that everything was fine and that nothing could go wrong.  
“… I’ll see if I can talk to him” Rex suddenly says, standing up and walking towards the door of the lounge, “Find out if he’s actually okay or not. Maybe… Maybe he’ll listen?” and then he exits the room.

The comment had been correct. As Rex made his way up the stairs, he stepped on certain steps and there was a creaking sound. If Danny was listening, he would almost certainly know that someone was heading upstairs. Glancing back, the Raptor Trainer saw that Daniel was following close behind, having more luck in avoiding the noisy steps, and he was quick to point out which door was the correct one. Rex nods and cautiously walks over to it, before knocking. “Hey, uhh, I’m here to see if you’re okay…” he tried to work out what to add, to make it a bit less awkward for the three of them. However, from the quiet yelp and the sound of something being knocked over, it seemed like he didn’t need to say any more… He did anyway. “… What was that?”  
“You need to stop locking your door if you know this will happen” Daniel comments, pushing Rex aside and not even attempting to try the door handle, somehow already knowing that it was locked, perhaps from experience? “I shouldn’t be forced to remove the lock because you can’t be left alone for, like, five seconds” he had gotten a lock-pick out, and was starting to unlock the door that way.  
“He said his room was meant to be somewhere he could get some alone time” Rex looks concerned, figuring that he had been pushed out the way for a reason. Whatever the heck was happening right now was definitely something that Emmet did not know about. Or any of the others, for that matter.   
“He’s never able to properly have alone time, since the same thing always happens. I shouldn’t have told him to stop acting like nothing negative happens”  
I… He brought a few things up by himself. He’d start talking, realise that it was a bad idea to talk about something, but he’d finish speaking anyway. And then he’d act like he didn’t nearly have a nervous breakdown from what he was saying”  
“You should head downstairs. I’ve had to deal with him being like this before, so I know what to do. I don’t think he wants someone else seeing him like this” it wasn’t worded like it was, but Rex knew that what had been said was an order. He simply nods before turning and starting to head back downstairs, only glancing over to hear another word be muttered (but not in English this time), and then the door is finally opened. What Rex can see of the room is a mess, which surprises him as the rest of the house is neat and organised. Even though the door is left open, and he can hear Daniel talking about something (still not English), Rex decides that he will head downstairs anyway. It seems personal, especially because they weren’t speaking English currently.

Again, Rex was left in silence downstairs. He noticed the very common theme by this point, and he couldn’t be bothered to try and do anything about it right now. Instead, he just decides to stare at the DVD collection on the shelves, and maybe have a look at what was there (it was harder to commit it to memory, as nothing was in a specific order) and potentially stick something on if it was cool enough for him. Even just having background noise would be preferable, by this point, because so many times the silence he had been left in was awkward and agonising and way too uncomfortable for one person to survive. Eventually, he just grabs one of the Mission Impossible films, walking over to the TV and crouching down to be able to reach the DVD Player. He first dusts it off, before turning it on and feeling a little surprised to see that it still worked (and that it was also already plugged in, despite not being used at all), pressing the eject button reveals that there was nothing in the disk tray, so he opens the box and puts the DVD disk in, closing it and moving back to the sofa he had been sat on earlier. Now was the moment of truth… Picking up the remote, he turns the TV on, revealing that it was on one of the generic news channels that everyone had to watch. Turning the volume down to a respectable level, he then switches the TV’s setting to show picture from the DVD Player instead, and there it was. The film he had stuck on. Grinning, Rex decides to just take up the whole of the sofa, turning subtitles on (so he could still understand what was being said if it got too quiet for him) before actually starting the film. In that moment, he had forgotten that he didn’t actually live here, though he felt like he finally belonged somewhere. He had somewhere to stay, and he got to talk to people who cared about him. He felt truly happy, for once in his life, and he was not going to let anyone ruin that any time soon. Especially not Emmet or any of his damn friends.


	6. Bittersweet Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally actually finished writing this, oof. It's also the longest chapter I wrote, and it'll probably remain that way unless I keep writing more for later chapters.  
> I'll try to update more often later on. Sorry for the randomly large time gap between updates.

The person on the sofa yawns, before stretching. As their eyes slowly adjust to the different lighting in the room, they sudden shoot up. Just out the window, it was dark, though the Sun was only just starting to come up. The TV and DVD Player were off, meaning that somebody must have come down while he was asleep. Rex looks around the room again. Nothing had really changed where it was location, aside from the TV Remote now being on the floor, very likely because it fell during the night. It was very likely that the other two were still asleep. Glancing over to the clock, he saw that it was still quite early. “Urgh, cool people don’t wake up EARLY” he mutters in annoyance “Cool people sleep in and only wake up super late” however, he didn’t particularly want to go back to sleep. Rex was about to get up until he noticed the blanket just haphazardly thrown over him, meaning that someone definitely did come down while he was asleep. Hopefully he didn’t talk in his sleep. Slowly getting to his feet, and setting the blanket aside, Rex decides to just wonder into the kitchen to find something to eat, and maybe make a drink (probably not coffee as there was none in the building for some reason???) to wake himself up more.

There were no lights on, and he wasn’t about to turn any on either. Rex just wondered through the building, feeling glad that he was able to see in the dark better than normal because of how much time he spent in dark places. Because that made him feel _cool_ … And totally not because a lot of it was when he was abandoned in the Undar the Dry’ar System. He heard some muttering from upstairs, meaning that one of the two spoke in their sleep, but he didn’t stay to listen. It would be awkward if he was spotted listening to someone talking in their sleep, and he hated getting involved in awkward situations. Yesterday was an accident. Oh, and there he was, thinking about what happened yesterday again. Everyone should have hated him and, yet… They didn’t. They somehow thought that he could become nice again, and Emmet even lied to his friends (who didn’t know the truth yet) just so they would like him. Why would Emmet, of all people, do that for HIM? The person who got everyone banished to the Bin of Storage for a short amount of time. Yeah, he had let President Business become good, but trying to freeze everyone with the Kragle (and failing) wasn’t as bad as actually banishing everyone forever. He shouldn’t even be here now, either. He just was, and it was horrible, but perhaps not really because staying here was nicer than any other option he could have thought of.

Rex was so distracted by his thoughts that he barely noticed when he was sat at the table with some toast on a plate in-front of him. He snaps out of it as he was idly munching on a piece, looking around to notice that there was still nobody around… Was he really still the only one awake at this time? Well, that seemed to be the case, until eventually there was movement from upstairs. Someone had started to walk about and, unless one the two sleepwalk, it meant that someone was definitely awake. It continues, along with stuff being knocked over and a yelp, and Rex is almost certain that they tripped over at one point as well. He continues eating and acting like he hadn’t heard anything as he hears them finally start moving down the stairs, before realising that they were heading to the kitchen. Right where he was currently sat. And he couldn’t draw his eyes away from the door fast enough to watch as Danny finally enters the room, not looking much like he had just woken up even though that clearly wasn’t the case. The two stare at each other for several seconds before he finally realises what was going on. Rex watches as he then continues what he was doing, while acting as if the Raptor Trainer (among many other things) wasn’t sat at the table. Someone would have to say something at some point.

“I forgot you were here” Rex didn’t actually expect it to be Danny who broke the silence His voice showed that he was tired, and he sits down at the table with a mug of hot chocolate.  
“Yeah, everyone seems to forget about me” Rex mutters with a huff, arms folded, looking a little annoyed. Even though Danny did not know what he meant by that, he still frowns a little.  
“It’s not my fault, though…” Rex was fully expecting the blame to be pinned on him from this, so he couldn’t hide his surprise when it actually wasn’t “… I don’t really remember much of what happened yesterday, anyway. I could probably only mention a couple of things that happened these past few weeks, though” he gives a small laugh, and Rex still kinda looks stunned. Was he really laughing about the fact that he didn’t remember that much? As he fumbles over his words, Danny suddenly speaks again. “Y’know, your surprised face reminds me a lot of Emmet’s surprised face. He’s the only one I know who looks surprised like that” at least his smile had returned?  
“Wh… What?” Rex had no clue about what to say to that. He was trying to avoid being compared to Emmet, and yet he apparently couldn’t change how he looked surprised, even after altering his face structure by becoming cooler and more radical. Apparently, it was just that unique. “It’s meant to be a secret” he mutters. That comment didn’t go unheard, even though he was sure he had said it super quietly.  
“You know, you look a lot like Emmet, even with all those differences. Like how I look a lot like my brother, even though we’re two different people” he takes a sip of the drink. If it was too hot, Rex could not tell, for he didn’t seem to look pained at all. _That was really cool_ , Rex though, _Normally, people never drink super-hot drinks because they don’t want to get burnt_. His confident smile had returned as well, and now he didn’t look surprised anymore.  
“What are you implying?” Rex asks, leaning back in his seat and pushing his now-empty plate a short distance away from him.  
“You’re either Emmet’s brother, who was somehow not registered on any systems, or…” Danny trails off, like his thoughts had just suddenly stopped working. The silence that followed was very confusing, and Rex had no clue about what to do. It sorta felt like the situation back when he first saw Lucy (Wyldstyle), only it wasn’t him who was just staring this time.

“I… Should probably explain. I might be Emmet, but I’m from the future of an alternate timeline. When I went to go and save my friends, I hit a meteor, causing me to get lost in the Undar the Dry’ar System. Nobody came looking for me, and I grew bitter when I saw everyone continuing life without me. I reinvented myself to be tougher and cooler, and that’s how I became Rex Dangervest”  
“… You don’t seem that bitter” it wasn’t clear whether Danny believed it or not, but it seemed like he was ready to poke holes in the story anyway. He tilts his head slightly, and Rex just sighs. Yes, that was very true, he HADN’T actually been all that bitter or grumpy recently.  
“Well, perhaps it’s because I finally found some sweetness in my life” a cocky grin was finally on his face again. His companion starts laughing again, and it reminds him of when he was training Emmet to be tougher and cooler, only a little bit different. The difference was that Emmet didn’t act like this. “What’s so funny about that? It IS the truth, after all”  
“I think… Think that this is the better option for how I react to that” he wipes some tears from the corner of his eyes “Nobody is ever normally this nice to me. Aside from my brother, but he does it more out of obligation. I’m glad you’re not as naïve as the Emmet here”  
“Well, the Emmet here has a few good ideas at least. But he hasn’t had as many good ideas as I’ve had!”  
“I don’t think travelling to an Alternate Timeline was one of those ideas, though. I’m most certain that you didn’t want to screw with someone who isn’t exactly you” he gives a playful grin, and Rex is now glad that they weren’t mentioning anything about yesterday.  
“Hmm, it was worth it though. Everyone where I’m from was pretty boring. I’m not planning on going back there, anyway, because I don’t think they’d notice their Emmet never showing up again. Not after this long of not being there” _and also my time machine is kinda broken. Unless I can find the spare parts, I’d never be able to return anyway. Not like that really matters thought_. Rex’s grin has become more casual. He’s glad to finally be able to talk to someone about anything.

Even though they finished eating in silence, it was comfortable, and the air was calm and pleasant and not at all tense. Either Danny didn’t believe that Rex used to be Emmet, or he was just fine with it. Rex wasn’t sure which one it was, though, as it wasn’t actually brought up again. Or even mentioned. It had been revealed and it changed nothing about how either of the two felt, and Rex couldn’t believe that that could actually happen. “You still need to do the community service stuff” Danny suddenly says, and Rex looks a little startled. He had forgotten about that. “You might not be all bad and stuff now, but Emmet thinks you’re going to be doing it so you might as well do it, so his friends believe that you’re trying to change. They probably wouldn’t listen to me if I told them ‘Rex is nice now’ because they tend to not listen to me. I don’t know why” his smile was still on his face. Rex was unsure about how one person could always seem so positive.  
“Yeah yeah, sure. Whatever. I’ll do it, I’ll let his friends see me help out, that should make ‘em believe that I’m not here to banish them anywhere anymore” Rex folds his arms and acts annoyed, but he wasn’t too annoyed really. He was _glad_ that they had been called ‘Emmet’s Friends’ and not ‘your friends’. It made him feel like he actually WAS a separate person to Emmet, like he wanted to happen. “Hopefully it won’t be that bad”  
“I’ll probably drag you through it for the next few days. My brother thinks I should spend time outside the house, and I now have an excuse to do so. I’m sure he’ll enjoy having some peace and quiet when he wakes up, anyway”  
“… Would you really help me do that stuff?” Rex wasn’t used to people offering to help him like this.  
“Yeah, I might as well. And then I won’t have to hear my brother complaining when he wakes up, either. People will presume that there’s a reason why I’m wondering around with you, especially since they still believe that I’m a Police Officer”  
“But you’re not in your uniform? Wouldn’t that affect it?” Rex was the one to tilt his head in confusion now. Currently, Danny was wearing a grey hoodie that was somehow a few sizes too big. It looked like he was ready to laze about at home all day, not go and actually do something outside.  
“Nope! Everyone thinks that, even when you’re not in your Uniform, a Police Officer is still a Police Officer. I’m always asked about directions or expected to chase criminals down even when I’m clearly not on duty, so I’ve gotten used to it” he then grabs Rex’s arm and starts to drag him to the front door “If we get out now, we can be far enough from the house to not be spotted by Mr Grumpy. I’ll message him about where I went later” Rex wasn’t really sure about that, but he says nothing, just allowing himself to be dragged along while hoping that everything actually did go fine while out there. Hopefully, people didn’t mind him being around, even with what he did.


End file.
